When you think of asbestos, you likely think of something that was banned long ago, and only comes up when it is discovered in old buildings. That would be a nice reality, but the truth isn’t quite so rosy. In fact, asbestos continues to be used regularly in many places, so the threat that it poses to human health is alive and well.

The Current Status of Asbestos

Let’s get started by trying to get a clear picture of the current status of asbestos both in the United States and around the world. As a starting point, asbestos is no longer mined in the United States. Where asbestos mines were once relatively common, the last one closed twenty years ago and this mineral is no longer pulled from the earth in the U.S.

That does not mean, however, that asbestos is no longer mined. There are active mines in various other places around the globe, including in Russia and China. Some of what is mined in those countries continues to be imported into the United States, so asbestos continues to be used in various products that are on the market today.

As an indication of the ongoing commercial value in the asbestos business, Russian exporters of asbestos were pleased to hear that former U.S. President Donald Trump supported keeping asbestos-based products legal in the United States. The company even printed images of President Trump on the packaging of palletized asbestos as a tribute in thanks for his support of the industry.

Some of the places where asbestos continues to be used includes products such as brake pads, commercial roofing compounds, gaskets, and more. It should be noted that these products are only available in the commercial setting, and products containing asbestos are no longer sold to consumers. There are regulations in place that control the use and management of any products used by businesses that still have some level of asbestos.

Cement is another place where asbestos continues to be employed in many projects around the globe. While the risk of exposure is thought to be minimal once the asbestos is locked in the finished cement, there is a significant risk to the workers who produce and use the cement. To be properly protected, workers need to have access to sufficient safety equipment that will not only protect their breathing but also cover any exposed parts of their bodies, as well.

What Effects Does Asbestos Have on Humans?

Asbestos is a known carcinogen and can have a negative effect on human health in a variety of ways. The danger posed by this mineral comes when it is distributed throughout the air and breathed in by people in the area. You would not know if you were breathing in air that contained asbestos, as the harmful fibers are not large enough to see, and they have no odor.

Once inside the body, these fibers can become lodged inside the lungs and gradually degrade the lungs’ ability to perform basic functions. One of the problems that led to the common use of asbestos for such a long time in so many industries is the delay between exposure and symptoms. It will take at least a decade in most cases for negative health effects to take place, and in some cases, it will be several decades. While companies in the asbestos industry knew of these risks far before it was regulated, legal action only began to happen as affected individuals became sick and a connection could be made to asbestos exposure.

Environmental Exposure Concerns

The case of Libby, Montana highlights the ongoing risk of asbestos environmental exposure. Even without being directly exposed to the sources of asbestos that we have come to think of as traditional, it’s possible for individuals to suffer from serious health consequences. This small, rural town was once home to vermiculite mines that contained huge levels of asbestos.

Libby was the tip of the iceberg in the cover up by the asbestos industry

Negative health impacts on the miners who worked at the location would not be a surprise, but as the decades unfolded, it was found that many people who never actually worked at the mines – or even close to the mines – were also being impacted by asbestos-related illness. This real-life case study points to the tremendous danger that asbestos can present, even to those who are not in direct contact with the source of the fibers.

Asbestos Continues to Be Uncovered

It would be great if we could say that the discovery of asbestos is now a rare and uncommon occurrence, but we are far from that being a reality. Today, stories of the discovery of asbestos in old buildings and other locations are just as common as they’ve been in the past, and people continue to deal with the ongoing impact of the widespread use of this mineral in building materials.

The importance of proper asbestos abatement – for health, safety, and legal liability.

For example, a developer in the state of Kansas is in serious legal trouble as a result of not properly removing asbestos from a job site. The health of countless people can be put at risk when asbestos is not handled appropriately based on regulations and best practices, so this is an issue that can lead to criminal prosecution.

Asbestos concern in East River Park, NY

In another case, asbestos was found to be present in the pipes of East River Park in New York. This discovery was a surprise to the contractors working on the project, and although the pipes are not connected to the water system in the area, there is still concern that fibers could be displaced into the air as a result of the ongoing work at the park.

Nearly every building constructed before the mid-1980s contained some asbestos product.

While asbestos is not used nearly as often as it once was, it remains legal for use in some places – and old asbestos continues to be found in locations around the world, and certainly will continue to be for many years to come. This all means that despite the fact that the use of

asbestos has been outlawed in most of the world for decades, it continues to pose a threat to human health and needs to be carefully monitored to keep people safe.

Many industrial workers in factories, refineries, mechanical shops, metalworks and shipyards were exposed before the mid-1980s.

“It seems the dirtier the job, the more asbestos you were exposed to.”

Justinian C. Lane.
Managing Partner
AsbestosClaims.Law

Asbestos diseases have a long latency. 

Symptoms of an asbestos-related disease may not appear until twenty to fifty years after exposure.

Workers who tested negative for asbestos damage in the 1990s in many cases eventually developed asbestosis, mesothelioma, lung cancer and other asbestos-related diseases.

Asbestos: a silent killer

Asbestos also has no taste, smell or immediate reaction, so you don’t always know you’re breathing it. But some asbestos fibers never leave your body.1

“All forms of asbestos are carcinogenic to humans.”2

Epigenetics are a process that results in gene alteration – asbestos fibers appear to affect and alter a person’s genes epigenetically in a way that increases the risk of developing cancerous tumors.3

Second-hand asbestos exposure

Unfortunately, many worker’s families and other household members were exposed as well, as asbestos was brought home daily in neighborhoods across the U.S. on work-clothing. This is often known as secondary or second-hand asbestos exposure (or domestic / household family asbestos exposure).

20%

In studies of asbestos disease, 1 in 5 cases of asbestos exposure were caused by secondary asbestos exposure.4

AsbestosClaims.Law

AsbestosClaims.law is your comprehensive resource for all things asbestos. We hope this information helps you.

If you have any additional questions or concerns related to asbestos, check out our website and YouTube page for videos, infographics and answers to your questions about asbestos, including health and safety, asbestos testing, removing asbestos from your home and building, and legal information about compensation for asbestos injuries.

If you believe that your home or other building was contaminated with asbestos, you could be entitled to significant compensation—money you could use to cover the costs of asbestos removal services, pay for medical treatment, and preemptively protect your physical well-being. 

All without filing a lawsuit.

If you’d like help with filing a claim, please get in touch by email at [email protected], or call or text us at (833) 4-ASBESTOS (427-2378) or (206) 455-9190. We’ll listen to your story and explain your options. And we never charge for anything unless you receive money in your pocket.

In addition to legal claims, veterans disability, social security and employment protection like workers compensation, FELA and The Jones Act for maritime workers, there are asbestos trusts that have been set up to compensate those harmed by asbestos without having to file a lawsuit.
If you have any additional questions or concerns related to asbestos, including testing for exposure or how to file a claim, please get in touch by email at [email protected], or call or text us at (833) 4-ASBESTOS (427-2378) or (206) 455-9190.

Pira, E, Donato, F, Maida ,L, Discalzi, G. Exposure to asbestos: past, present and future. J Thorac Dis. 2018 Jan;10(Suppl 2):S237-S245. doi: 10.21037/jtd.2017.10.126. PMID: 29507791; PMCID: PMC5830559.

1 https://www.lung.org/clean-air/at-home/indoor-air-pollutants/asbestos
2 https://europepmc.org/books/nbk304375
3 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6955579/
4 Tompa E, Kalcevich C, McLeod C, Lebeau M, Song C, McLeod K, et al. The economic burden of lung cancer and mesothelioma due to occupational and para-occupational asbestos exposure. Occup Environ Med 2017; 74: 816-22.